I questioned the First Minister during FMQs on the reports that BiFab have lost out on vital wind farm contracts.
Trade unions state that Fife based BiFab is believed to have lost out on the bulk of offshore renewables contracts worth £2.8 Billion to yards in Belgium, Spain and the UAE.
I asked the First Minister if she would recognise that more state support is required in Scotland to secure a just transition in the Scottish economy.
I also asked what the First Minister would do to address the issues facing Scotland in competing with companies that hold an unfair commercial advantage or economies which do not apply labour standards that would be recognised in Scotland.
The First Minister agreed with the issues I raised and acknowledged that more work was needed to be done.
What is clear is that there is not a level playing field in the procurement process and this needs to be addressed. In communities across Fife many workers have been waiting for work to return to the yards.
Unite and GMB are correct to say that the failure to place any of the order for 100 steel jackets in Scotland is a “scandal”.
I support the calls being made for a parliamentary committee inquiry into the issue of levelling the playing field, so that more contacts for the Scottish renewables industry can be awarded to companies based here in Scotland.
What is vital is that we recognise that more state support is required, and without such commitments the transition to a just economy based more on renewables will not be realised.
See the exchange below:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m0qpNL2YxQ[/embedyt]
